


Join Your Hand

by snowynight



Category: Marvel Ultimates
Genre: Character Study, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-01
Updated: 2012-01-01
Packaged: 2017-10-29 02:31:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/314860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowynight/pseuds/snowynight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve has his own ways of showing affection. Tony has his way of reciprocation. Jan just hopes there to be no footsie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Join Your Hand

**Author's Note:**

  * For [valtyr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/valtyr/gifts).



It was easy to forget that Steve and Tony really got together now, Jan thought. Actually it was surprising to hear the news from Steve. They were so... different. But there was no accounting for taste, she thought. And when she really looked, she could see the signs.

  
When Steve passed by Tony, their shoulders touched slightly. Steve's usually stern eyes softened a bit when looking at Tony, and Tony looked. Not just flirting; Tony flirted even with non-humans; But the intense look that he directed toward his technology. When their eyes met, there were unspoken message that other people didn’t want to disrupt. When one of them entered a room, the other would pay attention to each other. One time Jan was about to enter Tony's study and saw Steve with a book and Tony with his usual glass of martini, working on a computer. The way they were just together looked so serene that she left quietly, not wanting to disturb them. Steve raised from his book and nodded at her but then he didn’t say anything, as if he didn’t want to disturb it either.

If it was just a coincidence, she could put it away. But she recalled that in the mornings there was always a cup of hot coffee and a simple breakfast ready for Tony when he came out to the table. And Tony, who used to eat nothing, would just finish it under Steve's approving glare.

At the next day’s Ultimates meetings, Jan could see that Tony was pretending to pay attention to Fury while texting non-stop. What surprised her was that Steve, who was usually so attentive, was texting too. From Tony's cunning smile, she could guess who they were texting to. There was a tinge of jealousy, but she soon put it down, and started texting Wanda herself.

She texted, “They may as well go for footsie.”

Wanda replied, “Who know they didn’t?”

Jan successfully resisted the urge to check, barely.

  
One day Ton looked particularly nervous - he actually drank less of his Martini. When she phoned Tony later, she could hear from the familiar surrounding noise that he was at Bucky's home. When she ended the conversation, she wondered how Tony behaved to the old couple. And the fact that Steve brought Tony to practically his only living family. When Tony and Steve returned, she could hear from their bickering that everything was fine. It seemed that Tony was accepted.  
They never quite did it to her, just like she neither.

Peaceful days didn’t last long between fights. After a fight that they all bore the wear and wounds, she saw that Steve put his hand gently on the dented part of Tony's armor and Tony stayed very still. Steve withdrew his hand when he noticed Jan, and Jan felt like she was interrupting an intimate moment. After Tony put off the armor, Jan and Steve were in the infirmary, ready to be bandaged up. Steve wasn't the most cooperative patient and tried to get away. Then Tony walked in and put a hand on Steve's shoulder and whispered something to him. Steve looked at him and Jan could swear that there was a tint of red on Steve's face. Steve was cooperative afterward. She didn't have so much effect on Steve.

  
One day Jan walked into the study, about to get a book to read to sleep, and heard a polite coughing. She immediately knew that it was Steve, as no one in this house would do it. Steve was sitting in the armchair, back straighter as if he was ready to be on attention any time, instead of the supposed relaxing at the house.. She saw that Steve was reading and when she glanced at it, she found that it seemed like a scientific journal.

  
Further observation proved her speculation and she teased, "I didn't know you liked science so much."

  
Steve looked up from his journal and put it down immediately on the table, like a child being caught stealing sweets and said, "Acquired taste."

  
"Was it related to a certain dark haired billionaire?" Jan deliberately winked and leaned toward him.

  
"Jan," Steve said with a plea.

  
When Jan felt that the teasing was enough, she asked, "How well do you understand it?"

  
"Not well. It advanced so much in recent years..." Steve frowned.

  
Jan was silent. Then she said, "Ask me if you have any problems."

  
"All right," Steve said. Jan left the study and went for the living room instead.

  
At the living room, Jan noted that Tony was slumping in the sofa and weirdly put down his glass of martini at the table. Worried, she came near him and saw that he was opening an envelope. She assumed that to be a business letter and was ready to go. But when she was about to leave, she noticed the soft glint in Tony's eyes when he was reading it.

  
Curious, she said, "I didn't know people still write letters."

  
"True, I didn't realize either," Tony smiled. He held the letter softly, as if it were broken glass.

  
"Care to share?" Jan teased, already knowing who the writer was.

  
"Darling, a man needs to have certain secrets," Tony said. He put the letter back in the envelope and left, leaving his glass of Martini on the table. Jan smiled

* * *

Steve and Tony were missing for several days. When Jan started to get worried, she noticed that Steve entered the mansion, carrying a small bag.

She asked, "Where did you go?" 

"Paris." 

"For a mission?" she guess, though it didn’t look like it. There was no tension in his body from the remaining adrenaline after a mission.

"No. It's Tony." Steve seemed to be a bit embarrassed. "

"And you let him?" Jan had to ask. Steve looked away. Jan was sure that Steve was smitten with Tony. A lot.

She smiled at him and said, “I’m happy for you two.” She spoke it from her heart.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Joined Hands (The Rebound Remix)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12054543) by [navaan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/navaan/pseuds/navaan)




End file.
